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Wednesday, December 9, 2015

My Holiday Gift Guide for Gamers

The
holiday season is upon us like Mario on Princess Peach, and it’s time to get
that special gift for the gamer in your life. Unfortunately, you may have no
idea what titles he or she already owns. Worse, you may not even know their
gaming console of choice.

If
video game gift giving makes you feel like Pac-Man with no power pellets, never
fear, our list of gaming related items is here. Instead of buying a typical
game disc or download, which the recipient may or may not want (or may already
have), why not surprise your turtle-jumping, tomb-raiding, dot-munching loved
one with one of the following peripheral presents?

Nintendo’s
cute, colorful Amiibo figurines are compatible with certain titles for the Wii U and 3DS, unlocking bonus content and features (such as costumes and weapons)
in those games. The great thing is, even if the person you’re buying a gift for
doesn’t have a Wii U or 3DS, Amiibo are cool collectibles and make for great
game room decorations.

There
are numerous Amiibo designs, including such iconic characters as Donkey Kong,
Mario, Pac-Man, Pikachu, Princess Peach, Sonic the Hedgehog and Zelda.

Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie

Screenwave
Media

Whether hardcore or casual, most gamers who
are also film fans have seen such big budget pictures as Pixels and Wreck-It-Ralph.
However, there’s a thriving indy video game movie scene as well, exemplified by
such fun but relatively obscure features as Nintendo
Quest and King of the Arcades.A
standout in this category is (starring YouTube sensation James Rolfe), which is
noteworthy not for its quality but for its lack thereof. Adult in the most juvenile
sense of the word (Rolfe is famous for his expletive-laden tirades), the movie
is so bad it’s good. Call it Plan 9 from
Outer Space for the vid kid generation.

Game On! 2016: All the Best Games:
Awesome Facts and Coolest Secrets

Scholastic

Everyone
loves lists, and Game On! 2016 has several
that joystick jockeys will enjoy, from “50 Greatest Gaming Moments” to “Glitches,
Stunts, and Fails” to “The Coolest Gaming Secrets of All Time.” Plus, the book,
which is recommended for readers ages 8 to 12, spotlights some of today’s
hottest video game properties, including Forza, Mario Party, The Sims, Madden NFL and
the 8-bit-inspired favorite, Shovel Knight.

For
a more scholarly work, hold out for Leonard Herman’s forthcoming Phoenix IV: The History of the Videogame
Industry (maybe you could give it as a birthday present next spring), but Game On! 2016 is a fun, photo-heavy read
that will keep kids entertained (and somewhat informed) while they’re away from
their gaming consoles.

Legend of Zelda Link Robe

ThinkGeek

Give
the green gift of comfort with this one-size-fits-most-adults Link bathrobe,
which features a pointed hood, a removable brown belt, two pockets (for snacks,
magic potions and the like) and a decorative shield on the back. Perfect for
marathon gaming sessions (there’s no time to get dressed or even go to work when
there are kingdoms to conquer and princesses to rescue), it’s made of 100
percent polyester, so it should last through many adventures.

Non-Zelda fans will be none the wiser when
you tell them it’s a Green Arrow or Robin Hood robe.

LEGO Minecraft: The Desert Outpost

LEGO

If
you’ve got kids in grade school, you’ve probably heard of Minecraft. In fact, you may have heard too much about it as
devotees tend to discuss the popular world-building game at length (which is
polite phrasing for ad nauseam).

Many
fans call Minecraft “digital LEGOs,”
so it only makes sense that there are several related LEGO sets available,
including our favorite, The Desert Outpost, which, like the rest of the sets,
spurs analog creativity. A child with an especially inventive mind can add Star Wars blocks and figures (sold
separately) and create scenes evoking the dusty planet Tatooine.

Mario Kart 8 GO!!! Racing System

Carrera

The
“Mario Kart” series, which began with Super
Mario Kart (1992) on the Super NES and continues today with Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U, features some
of the most popular racing video games ever made. A natural extension of the
franchise is this super cool slot car racing kit, which includes a lap counter,
a pair of controllers, Mario and Toad in their respective racers and a
twisting, turning, infinity-shaped track.

The
set is recommended for children ages 8 and up, but parents and grandparents who
played with slot cars during the toy’s heyday of the 1960s and ’70s will enjoy
it as well. This is a great way to spend some family time together away from
screens.

Monopoly: Fallout Collector’s Edition

Monopoly

Fallout 4 for the PS4 and
Xbox One is just a month old, meaning RPG fans and hardcore gamers are still
fully immersed in the game’s vast universe, fighting to survive a world
destroyed by nuclear war. But at some point, players must take a break, come up
for air and interact with actual human beings. In short, Fallout 4 is an immersive, time-draining, solo experience.

EnterMonopoly: Fallout Collector’s Edition, an immersive,
time-draining experience for two to six players. The buy/sell/trade action is
similar to classic Monopoly, but with
themes based on the popular “Fallout” franchise, complete with Wasteland
environment, customized money and Houses and Hotels renamed Shacks and Vaults.

Other
video game-themed versions of Monopoly
are available as well, including Halo.

Pac-Man Connect and Play

Bandai

Released
to celebrate Pac-Man’s 35th anniversary, this nifty gadget plugs
directly into most any TV set and includes 12 old-school arcade games, mostly mazes
and shooters: Pac-Man, Pac-Man Plus, Bosconian, Galaxian, Mappy, Super Pac-Man, Galaga, Dig Dug, New Rally X, Pac & Pal,
Xevious, and Pac-Man 256, the latter of which lets fans play the 256th
board in Pac-Man, when the coin-op
classic would famously freeze.

Ms. Pac-Man is noticeably
absent, and the joystick isn’t as sturdy or as sure as that on a real arcade
cabinet, but as playable shelf-porn (the cord can be stored in the controller
for a streamlined look), this will make any Pac-Fan smile.

RetroN
5

Hyperkin

Retro gaming is rad, but many
people—especially casual gamers—don’t want to go through the expense and hassle
of acquiring and hooking up a bunch of dusty old consoles. That’s where the RetroN 5 comes in. This amazing device, which comes with HDMI connections and a
Bluetooth wireless controller, lets users relive gaming’s glory days by playing
cartridges (sold separately) from nine vintage systems: the NES, Famicom
(Japanese NES), Super NES, Super Famicom (Japanese Super NES), Genesis, Mega
Drive (Japanese Genesis), Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance.

Yahtzee:
Borderlands Claptrap Edition

Gearbox

If you’ve checked this list twice
and still can’t decide what to get your favorite gamer, roll the dice on this
special Borderlands edition of the
popular tabletop game, Yahtzee,
published by Plano-based Gearbox. Playable solo or with one or more friends, the
package comes with a collectible CL4P-TP Dice Shaker Cup, a custom score pad
and special dice featuring Borderlands Achievement icons: Vault, Pandoracon,
Chest, Map, Psycho Mask and CL4P-TP.

There are Super Mario-, Pac-Man-
and Legend of Zelda-themed Yahtzee sets as well.

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About Me

A freelance writer, I'm the author of the Classic Home Video Games series, The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987, Encyclopedia of KISS, and other books. I've had articles published in numerous magazines and newspapers, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Filmfax, Fangoria, AntiqueWeek, The Writer, Mystery Scene, and more.
Contact me at brettw105 AT sbcglobal.net.